The Young Adventurer's Collection [Dungeons & Dragons 4-Book Boxed Set]: Monsters & Creatures, Warriors & Weapons, Dungeons & Tombs, and Wizards & Spells (Dungeons & Dragons Young Adventurer's Guides)

Got this for a 7 y/o's birthday. A week later we were watching "The Princess Bride" and he commented that Andre the Giant was probably a hill giant, those being the smallest of giants.

My son really enjoyed reading through these books to get an understanding of the characters and monsters in DnD. We were a little disappointed that it didn't have a kind of paired down version of the DnD system that is easier for kids to learn and understand which is what we had expected to find. You will still need the DnD guide and experience with the gaming system to create a character and create adventures.

If you are looking for a simple introduction in RPGs, check out the game No Thank you, Evil!

Don't be misled.

These do not provide a mechanism to allow the game to be played. It is not a simplified rule set for younger players.

They are simply "small lore books." No framework is provided to get these "Young Adventurers" going, no character sheet, no introduction to dice, no introduction to basic mechanics. Just pictures and descriptions and lore.

It's probably worth the $20 (about $5 a book), but not the retail suggested price found elsewhere. The lack of a basic framework that allows them to play makes this fairly useless.

I got this for my brother's 12th birthday and he loved it! I tried to introduce him to dnd before and it's a huge concept for a kid to understand all at once- so I figured i'd try with these books and give him a little taste of dnd (the visuals are beautiful and the breakdown of the books is good for all ages). he read through all of them within a day and insisted that I start a campaign for him and his friends.

LISTEN: if you're trying to convert a kid into a little adventurer- this is essential. let them learn by looking at the stunning books, and their imaginations keep them wanting to look into even more. I was worried that it would be too mature for him, but this is good for even younger kids like 10 years old. (the vocabulary isn't too hard, and I encourage older adventurers to walk through the harder words with kids!)

These are not rule books, these are meant to be digestible books for kids to understand the world and start creating their own. We played for the first time with a family member and my kids were immediately were hooked. We got these afterward so that they can create their own characters and start to delve into their imaginations. Highly recommend! It’s even a little bit more digestible for me when I just want an overview. Awesome art!

I got this for my 8-year-old who started inventing his own tabletop games for us to play using Legos and various household objects, with elaborate character-driven stories, maps, cutscenes, epic battles, and even accompanying music. I thought he might enjoy D&D, particularly as a dungeon master, and boy does he ever with these books. I’ve taken up learning the rules of the game from the Player’s Handbook and adapting a version of them within his grasp, so he can focus on imaginative storytelling as a dungeon master and not get too bogged down. But the game mechanics also rely heavily on quick math, which is fun when you’re calculating how much 2d6+3 damage you just took from a mysterious ooze. He is a natural DM, setting the scene with beautifully descriptive language and making sure there are plenty of surprises awaiting us. The dice also force you to improvise at times, and this is helping him be more flexible. I made a successful saving throw and didn’t fall through the trap door like he thought I would, and that’s OK! What happens now? This game offers great teaching opportunities for kids. Problem solving, social skills, math, playing fair, you name it.

These books roughly approximate the Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Player’s Handbook in the topics they cover, and they brilliantly do so in a digestible, beautifully art-adorned way for kids. Some of the art might be a little frightening for very young kids, so use discretion. There’s no gore or anything, but there are some spooky monsters such as the Demogorgon. As long as they’re mature enough to understand this is pure fantasy and know how to have fun with that, it should be fine. We’re very particular about what kinds of content he’s exposed to, and we saw no issue with these books.

I’m new to D&D as well, having only ever played RPG video games, but I’m having an absolute blast with this beautiful game. It’s a really fun way to go on an imaginary adventure with family and friends, and you’ll remember places traveled and obstacles overcome long after the game ends. Our son has already taken us on some truly wild adventures and asks every day if we can play. If you have a young adventurer with an active imagination and a love of playing games, this kid-friendly introduction to D&D can really nurture that and help it grow. Highly recommended!

Got this for my tween nephews, and had plenty of opportunity to read through myself.

First, these are not rulebooks. There's very little in the way of "crunchy bits" with stats and rules supplements. What they do have is tons of basic overview information on dungeons, monsters, and characters- Great as primers for younger players.

One thing that's worked great for us is to have these handy, and allow the boys to look stuff up when they make a successful roll for knowledge. It's detailed enough to fill in all the details their characters would know, but not so detailed as to allow metagaming. One of the better D&D related purchases I've made for them.

My 6-year-old twins loved these books. In fact so much they wanted to take them to school to share. My kids are just beginning to read paragraphs and they sat and started spewing off facts about Timat and dragons like they'd been gaming since 1st edition.
These are not rule books, so if you are expecting a kid-friendly ruleset this is not what these are. Instead, each spread is an intro to a character, monster, spell, lore, famous NPC, or site in the 40+ years of D&D.
The art is great, the layout is great for early readers. (My kids are reading on a 1st or 2nd grade level and they were able to handle most of the content within).

They are perfect simplifications and or summaries for major items in the world of D&D. My mother in law actually picked one up and started reading. I had bought them for 8 y/o so because she desperately wanted to start playing and so far my 5 y/o wants me to read them over and over. My wife said "I needed these" when she first started playing with me. They are not for seasoned players, but perfect for someone that wants a crash course on the world of D&D that way easier and more fun than just handing them a player handbook.

I'm very happy with this purchase, and I can say that our collection has led to friends buying sets of their own. These books are no substitute for an essentials kit or a Players Handbook, but they do inspire and excite young role players.